1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the cutting of food product with hydraulic food cutting devices. In particular it relates to a tensive cutting assembly for cutting food product.
2. Background of the Invention
A variety of “hydro-cutting” devices for cutting food product into slices and sticks are known in the art and typically include a cutting assembly comprising a plurality of sharpened cutting knives arranged and held in a stationary array with a means to propel the food product through the knife array. The food product may be conveyed through the knife array by suspending the food product in a fluid stream, such as water.
The typical hydraulic food cutting apparatus in use today has a receiving tank filled with a hydraulic carrier fluid, usually water, into which food product is dumped. A food pump draws its suction from the receiving tank, and pumps carrier fluid and the suspended food product from the tank into an inlet tube which aligns the food product before impact with a cutter assembly. Cutter blade assemblies include typically a frame and a stationary knife array typically including a plurality of individual knife blades mounted in a parallel and converging sequence to each other. If the food product is to be cut into slices, only a single such array need be utilized. However, if the food product is to be cut into sticks, such as potatoes for french fries, two such arrays are utilized with the knives in one array extending generally perpendicular to the knives in the other array.
Cole, et.al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,623 Knife Assembly for Cutting a Food Product, discloses a knife blade for use in a cutting assembly comprising a plurality of sharpened cutting knives arranged and held in a stationary array. Each blade includes a sharpened cutting edge, and holes adapted to accommodate a means for attaching the knife blades to a mounting member. The centers of the mounting holes lie in the plane of the cutting edge. The plurality of sharpened knife blades are mounted in the knife assembly so that a tension force is exerted on the knife blades in the plane of the cutting edge. The cutting edges of knives in an array are located in a common plane.